1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for indicating dosage time for medication. In particular, the invention is concerned with a method and apparatus for indicating a next or previous dosage time to comply with prescribed, or other recommended dosages, of medicines, supplements, vitamins, etc.
2. Background Description
It is common for people who are prescribed medication to either forget to take the medicine at the designated time, or fail to remember whether they have previously taken the medication. The same is true with respect to people who take non-prescribed dosages, such as vitamins, dietary supplements, etc.
To help those with such forgetful tendencies, reminder devices incorporated into medication containers have been developed. Such known medicine reminder devices require a user to actively set the reminder. For example, a user may have to move a window (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,795), or twist a knob or dial (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,433,324, 5,823,346 and 7,017,762) to set an indicator to a desired location.
However, the mechanisms employed by these reminder devices tend to be small and difficult to manage. This may be especially difficult for those with, for example, problems with their hands (e.g., arthritis, tendinitis, carpel tunnel, etc.) for which they could be taking the medicine. Furthermore, known medicine reminder devices can be confusing to a user and difficult to use due to the setting mechanisms and corresponding requirements of the user in order to accurately set the appropriate dosing time.